


The Magic of Christmas

by yearsofexperience



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21993718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yearsofexperience/pseuds/yearsofexperience
Summary: Felicity is the CEO of her own company, which takes up most of her time. She doesn't have much time to relax so when her best friend suggest they go for a trip to ski lodge in Aspen owned by Oliver Queen, she needs a lot of convincing. Giving in to her friend, Finally, she gives in not knowing that her life is about to turn upside down.
Relationships: John Diggle/Lyla Michaels, Nyssa al Ghul/Sara Lance, Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen & Thea Queen, Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, Roy Harper/Thea Queen
Comments: 35
Kudos: 118





	1. The beginning of something new

Chapter 1

_‘What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future’ – Agnes M. Pahro_

Starling City

Christmas music was blasting from the radio of the taxi as it passed by the buildings on the streets of Starling City. They say that this time is all about happiness and being cheerful. For some people it is but not for Felicity Smoak. Christmas time was the same as any other time of the year. Work, sleep, even more work… That was her life now. Nonetheless, she loves what she does and she knew exactly what she was getting into when she decided to start her own company but… Sometimes, she just wishes that she could slow down and just simply relax. As good as being your own boss sounds, it also requires most of your time and energy. There isn’t really time for day offs, or holidays. Her train of thoughts was interrupted as the taxi came to a stop in front of the restaurant. She paid the driver and got out of the car, making her way down the street to the entrance. As she stepped inside, she took a look around and scanned the room for her best friend. Iris was sitting at a table near the far right corner. She looked up from the menu and waved, sending her big smile. Felicity smiled back and made her way over to the table.

“Hi. So sorry, my two o’clock meeting ran a bit late.” – She said as dropped down on the chair right across from Iris. She took off her coat and her purse and put them on the back of her chair. She opened the menu in front of her and took a look at her options. She hasn’t eaten anything since early this morning and her stomach has been growling nonstop since noon.

“No worries. I just got here myself.” – Iris answered and they went quiet, trying to pick something to eat. In a few minutes, a waiter took their order and they fell into easy conversation about life and work. Iris talked a bit about her promotion at Starling Weekly and Felicity filled her in on some details of their latest projects. After a while, the waiter returned with their food and they proceeded with their conversation while enjoying the meal.

“Soo… there is something that I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.” – said Iris as she finished her meal, her expression becoming kind of serious. Felicity got worried for a minute and as she didn’t know what she should expect, she readied herself for everything. - “What is it?”

“Do you have anything planned for the holidays? I know you said that your parents are going to go for that cruise, so you’re not going to spend it with them but have you got anything else planned?” – Well, she should have expected that. Ever since the opening of Smoak Tech, Iris has been on her back nonstop about her social life, making plans for her for various activities and outings, setting her up for blind dates that most of time ended in a disaster.

“No, I don’t. I was actually just planning to…” – She answered the question slowly, only to be interrupted by her best friend in the middle of her answer. – “Please, don’t say work.”

“Okaay… I won’t” – said Felicity quietly, not wanting to get on her best friend’s bad side. Over the years, she’s learnt when to keep her mouth shut and agree with whatever Iris was saying.

“That’s wonderful, so… What would you say to a little trip?” – She continued as if Felicity hasn’t said anything at all. - “It depends on the destination.” – She answered honestly, as she was not expecting to hear her suggest a trip. Maybe a gathering with their friends yes, but not a trip. It’s not like they’ve never travelled anywhere together before but these usually happened in the summer and not around Christmas time.

“I found the cutest little cottage in the mountains near Aspen. It’s beautiful, come take a look!” – Iris took out her phone from her purse and turned it towards Felicity to show her a picture of a beautiful, not so little wooden cottage. It seemed to have multiple stories and it was surrounded by pine trees. In the background, the only thing you could see were more trees and the snowy slopes of the mountains. Each story had its own balcony and there was a small porch area that seemed perfect for enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. The lodge was photographed from multiple angles and you could even see a small spa area with a pool and a hot tub. It really did look perfect.

“It’s gorgeous. Wait a minute? Near Aspen? As in Aspen in Colorado?”

“Yes… Do you know any other Aspen?” – Iris said, looking at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head. – “I can’t go away that far. What if…”

The brunette cut her off mid-sentence before she could even begin to list all the excuses she could have thought of for why she couldn’t travel all the way to Colorado. – “Felicity… You have more than capable employees at your company and I think they can go without you for a couple of weeks… Besides, you have been working nonstop for the last two years, trying to get your company to stand on its two feet and now that everything is finally going well, you deserve a break.”

“I don’t know…” – Felicity felt still hesitant to agree even though she really wanted to. What is wrong with you Smoak? A few minutes ago, you were all about wanting to slow down and relax. The opportunity is right in front of you, all you’ve got to do is say yes. Why is it so hard?? - “Let me ask you one thing. When was the last time you had a day off? When was the last time you took a vacation?” – She was speaking the truth, Felicity could not argue with that and to be honest, she didn’t even really want to. She was tired of always putting everything else before her own needs. She’s been doing that for the last two years and she has had enough of that. It was going to end now. – “Alright, alright. I’m going.” - She answered, finally giving in to the puppy eyes Iris was torturing her with from across the table.

“Yay, it’s going to be so fun. I need to call the others.” – Felicity chuckled at her best friend’s enthusiasm and made a mental note to let Curtis and Alena know that they would be in charge while she was away. She couldn’t help but imagine all the fun they were going to have. This trip was going to be the start of something wonderful and Felicity couldn’t wait to find out what it was going to be.

* * *

Aspen, Colorado

Winter is one of the most beautiful seasons and no one should even dare to argue with him on that. Growing up in Starling City, Oliver has never really been a big fan of it and everything that usually comes with it but being at this place has definitely changed his opinion. There is just a certain beauty to watching the snow silently fall, painting the lands white and cleansing the world of all its dirt. Silence. That was something else that he never really thought he would enjoy. Having spent most of his youth at parties and clubs, Oliver has never really stopped to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of silence. It can sometimes be louder than any kind of noise and can give voice to even the deepest parts of our minds. To the parts he kept on pushing away for years. To the parts that were constantly telling him to get himself together and change his ways, should he ever want to have any kind of normalcy in his life. When he was young, all he cared about was getting drunk and high and sleeping around with girls he had no intention of talking to ever again. He never really cared to consider the consequences of his actions. Oliver has never thought that one day he would be standing on the balcony of his own guesthouse, completely different from the careless, narcissistic and self-centered person he once was. Looking out at the snowy slopes of the Snowmass Mountain, Oliver felt a certain sense of peace and contentment fill his body. The scenery that laid out before him was absolutely breathtaking and it reassured him even more that he made the right decision all those years ago. He smiled to himself and shook his head slightly before walking out of his bedroom. As he was walking down the stairs, he started to make a mental checklist of all the things they still needed to do today. Tomorrow is the official opening and they have to get everything ready before the first guests arrive. Halfway through his list, he came to a sudden stop at the sound of laughter coming from the bottom of the staircase that led to the kitchen. He cracked a smile and finished the last of the steps only to see the members of his staff piled up inside the kitchen, each of them ready for duty. They were all sitting around the kitchen island, sipping their coffees while lightly conversing.

“Good morning guys.” – He greeted them and placed a kiss on his sister’s forehead. – “Thank you so much for getting here so early and before we begin with today’s agenda, I just want to quickly express my gratitude for all of you and for all the energy and work you guys have put into making this place come together.”

“Hoss, we love this place as much as you do. It was nothing at all” – Oliver smiled at René’s answer and he once again wondered how he managed to find these amazing people. After some more pleasantries, he began with the agenda for the day and started to pass out the different tasks. John and Lyla had to travel into town to get some more supplies they were going to need for the different activities they have planned while René and Dinah were supposed to get everything ready in the restaurant and around outside area. That left Thea, Roy and himself with getting the lodge and the rooms ready for when the guests would start to arrive. After a couple of questions, everyone got to work. Watching everyone work made Oliver even more certain that this was going to be the start of something great and he could not wait to find out what it was going to be.

* * *

Starling City

Iris and Felicity spent the rest of their lunch talking and discussing some important details regarding their trip before both of them had to go back to work. They bid their goodbyes and left with the promise of calling each other later that night. Felicity was surprised to feel excitement wash over her body as the thought of Iris’ suggestion crossed her mind and she was smiling nonstop. Not even an hour ago, she had trouble simply agreeing to the idea and now she couldn’t wait to pack up her clothes and leave town. She had a feeling that it was going to be really good for her and she was looking forward to spending some more time with her friends, as well. Realizing that she was just standing in the middle of pavement, she took a look at her clock and saw that she was going to be really late, if she didn’t get going immediately. She quickly hailed down a taxi and made her way back to SmoakTech. As soon as she walked into the building, she was greeted by her personal assistant, Jerry who inform her on the rest of her schedule for the day. She still had some meetings with a couple of investors and clients to go through but after that she was completely free. She decided to use this time to make sure that everything was in order for when she would be away. There were still a few projects open but they were not urgent so she could postpone finishing them until after the holidays. The only thing left for her to do was to find someone to take over the leadership while she was gone. That decision was the easiest one to make. Alena and Curtis were unsurprisingly thrilled, jumping up and down once they had heard her proposition for them to be her substitute CEOs. She was aware of their abilities and their commitment to the company, so she was not worried at all. They have been waiting for an opportunity to play boss forever, anyways. Once they have calmed down, they went over the details and they promised to call her the moment any complication arises. They talked for a few more minutes and then she decided to go around the company and wish her employees merry Christmas and a happy new year. Felicity decided to call it a day right after that and went home to pack for the trip. Couple of hours late, her phone rang so she picked it up and put on speaker.

“Hi. What’s up?” – Felicity asked before putting down her phone on the nightstand and went back to packing. “Hi. I hope you’re done packing because I’m going to be at your house to pick you up at 6 am. Oh, and I’ve invited Sara and Caitlin along, as well.” – Iris said and waited for her to say what she thought of the idea. - “That’s great. The more, the merrier. How did you manage to organize everything so quickly?” – She was generally curious. As far as she knew, they have only agreed to do this trip this afternoon.

“Well… I actually organized everything last week already. All we needed was for you to agree.” – Iris exclaimed quickly, trying to sound as innocent as she could.

“You’re unbelievable.” – She chuckled, not even a tiny bit surprised at her answer. They have talked for a couple more minutes before they said goodbye. After that, Felicity got ready for bed and set an alarm for 5 o’clock. Tomorrow is going to be a great, but tiring day, spent with hours of travelling, so she wanted to get enough sleep. She fell asleep with a smile on her face, and couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come.

* * *

Aspen, Colorado

It has been a long and tiring day, but also a great one. The closer they were to getting everything ready, the more excited Oliver became about the lodge. When he and Thea left Starling City, he had no idea where they would end up or what they were going to do. Finding this lodge up in the mountains was the greatest thing that could have happened. The moment he laid eyes on this beautiful place, the idea for Queen’s Lodge was born. It took quite a while and lot of energy and work but now they had everything they needed, ready to be open for guests. As Oliver took a look around the reception area, he felt extremely proud. Proud of himself and everyone else who was involved in making this dream come true. In his lifetime, Oliver has never had anything that he was really passionate about. He dropped out of multiple colleges, never really gave any thought to what he wanted to do in the future. Every time he got into something, he always got bored and bailed before he could finish it. That has definitely changed and now seeing this beautiful place, he genuinely felt happy and proud.

“Everything turned out beautifully Ollie. I’m so proud of you.” – Thea told him as she walked inside the reception area and put her head on his shoulder. – “And they would be very proud of you, as well.” – She added quietly, knowing how important this place was for Oliver. He smiled at her sweetly and pulled her in for a hug. No matter what happened, they always stuck together and were there for each other. Their bond was something that Oliver has cherished the most in the world and he was so thankful to be experiencing this with Thea by his side. This was going to be a beautiful Christmas and he couldn’t wait to enjoy every minute of it.


	2. Expect The Unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and nice comments! I appreciate it and I was glad to see that you guys liked my idea. I hope you will like this chapter, as well.
> 
> AC

Chapter 2

_“The best things in life are unexpected – because there were no expectations.” – Eli Khamarov_

Starling City

It was still completely dark outside, when the sound of her alarm clock ringing filled the room, pushing Felicity out of her peaceful slumber. She turned around and reached over to her nightstand to turn it off, letting out disgruntled groan at the sight of the clock saying 5:00 a.m. It was a well-known fact for everyone in Felicity’s life that she has never been and never will be a morning person because of one simple fact. She liked her beauty sleep too much. Her family and friends were all aware of this as they had to learn it the hard way, not to come in contact with her before she had her much needed coffee. She gave herself a couple more minutes of rest before stretching out her body and throwing back the blanket. It has taken her a couple of tries but she eventually managed to get out of her bed before walking downstairs to the kitchen to start her day off with something that she loved dearly. Coffee. As always, her sleepiness has been chased away with the help of two cups of her favorite brown beverage and a small breakfast. After that everything became more bearable, so Felicity hopped into the shower before putting on a comfortable pair of yoga pants with one of her old MIT sweatshirts. Looking at the clock on her nightstand, she realized that she still had some time before Iris would come and pick her up, so she decided to quickly read through her emails. Two hours later, Felicity found herself in the car with three of her best friends laughing relentlessly and catching up on each other’s life. Iris has recently been promoted to editor in chief at Starling Weekly, while Sara was currently working at a local gym where she taught self-defense classes and martial arts. Caitlin on the other hand was living in Central City, where she was working at Star Labs alongside Harrison Wells as a doctor. Even though they had been travelling for quite some time now, the atmosphere in the car has never shifted, as they were having a really great time. Felicity has missed being carefree and light like this and she promised herself to enjoy and cherish every minute of this holiday season.

* * *

Aspen, Colorado

Some people have their whole life planned out for years ahead but Oliver has never been like that. For the better part of his youth, he never really knew what he wanted to do and he was never really given a chance to figure it out either, as certain people always seemed to know better what he was supposed to do. He always had the opinion that if something was meant to be, you would never have to force it. When Oliver wanted to do something, he wanted to be able to do it on his own terms. He knew that being forced to do something would only result in him coming to regret it later. Never actually having a say about decisions regarding his future, Oliver was desperate to gain some control and that led him to act out in form of getting drunk and sleeping around. That was his life until that fateful day he and Thea left Starling City and never looked back. He was left with no choice but to get himself together and turn his life around, not only for himself but for his sister, as well. They found themselves a new life in Colorado and every day, they kept on trying to put the old one behind them. Oliver got a new job at a small firm and he worked very hard, wanting to provide Thea with the best life possible. Two years later, he was hiking in the mountains, when he stumbled upon a beautiful wooden lodge near Aspen. He immediately fell in love with it and promised himself that he would do anything to get it. He finally found something that he was truly passionate about and he was not willing to let it go. His job at the firm was paying well but it wasn’t enough so he decided to find an extra one and took over shifts from coworkers just to earn some more money. It has taken him three years but he managed to do it. He bought the lodge and repaired it with the intention of turning it into a winter holiday destination and he did it on his own terms. That was one thing that he was the most proud of. Having finished everything last night, the morning rolled around as fast as lightning and Oliver had trouble believing the fact that the day he had been looking forward to for quite a while now, the day he finally got to open his own business has finally arrived. He has been restless throughout the entire night and for the better part of the morning, feeling a combination of excitement and nervousness. Wanting to ease his uneasiness, he went down to the gym to get a quick workout in before the craziness of the opening day would begin.

“Good morning!” – He greeted Thea, as he walked inside the kitchen to make himself and his sister breakfast. This has become their routine over the years they spent on their own. Thea was disaster in the kitchen so cooking became one of Oliver’s tasks. He opened the fridge to check it contents and saw that they had enough ingredients for pancakes. Most of the guests would be arriving around 11 a.m., so that left them with quite some time before they would need to get working.

“Good morning!” – Thea greeted him back and took a sip of her coffee. - “How are you feeling?” – She inquired, clearly aware of the fact that he was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

“Excited, nervous, terrified.” – He answered, look at her with a knowing expression and continued to mix the ingredients in a bowl.

“All that at once, huh?” – She chuckled for a second and then turned serious, wanting to reassure her brother. - “It is going to be okay, so don’t worry too much!”

“What if people don’t like the place?”

“Are you kidding me? This place is like fricking Winter Wonderland. Anybody, who doesn’t like it is definitely crazy.” - Oliver laughed at his sister’s bluntness and turned towards her to send her a small smile, appreciating the fact that she was trying to make him feel better.

“And that is lesson number 1 on what not to say to the guest.” – He turned back to the stove and put the first batch on the griddle. – “All jokes aside, thank you for trying to make me feel better. I appreciate it.”

After that, they fell into easy conversation and had a nice, cozy breakfast. Whenever Oliver counted his blessings, he always counted Thea twice, as she has become his rock throughout all of this and has been nothing but supportive ever since he told her his plans about the cabin, pulling him back every time he lost sight of his goals. As the minutes went by, the members of his staff started to arrive, all of them excited to start working. Oliver assigned everyone with their tasks and then decided to get some work done outside. The night brought quite a bit of snow in its wake, covering most of the property with the white substance including the parking space for the guests’ cars. It had to be shoveled away before they arrived so Oliver got to work, immediately. He was done within 45 minutes and was about to head inside, only to be interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. He got a call from one of their supplier, who told him that they could unfortunately not deliver what they had ordered due to car malfunctions. Oliver had no choice but to go and get it himself, so he got inside the car and started to drive towards the town.

* * *

Somewhere in Colorado

As all of them had an early morning and were still quite tired, it was hard for them to concentrate as well as it would be necessary for a winter morning weather. That is why they decided to take turns driving, trying to prevent possible accidents. They were crossing the border of Colorado, when it started to snow quite heavily, which made the condition of the roads pretty bad, reassuring them that they made the right decision. Going into the fourth hour of the ride, it was Felicity’s turn and much to her dismay also the time her best friends chose to take a nap, leaving her alone with trying to figure out the right direction. According to the GPS on her phone, they were only fifteen minutes from their destination but it seemed to have stopped working as it was trying to send her on a route that did not even exist.

“Okay, we are officially lost.” – She exclaimed loudly und decided to wake her friends up from their nap. Felicity got her driving’s license at the age of 17 and has been driving ever since but she would not exactly peg herself as an expert driver and right now she could use some help. Fortunately, the snow fall slowed down and the roads were cleared quite well, as well, making the situation a lot easier. The four of them together managed to get everything worked out and they finally began to go in the right direction. A few minutes later, they encountered their next challenge in form of a roadblock. A small part of their lane was closed off because of temporary roadworks with a clear sign that giving the cars travelling in the other lane right-of-way. However, Felicity has failed to check whether or not somebody was crossing the roadblock and much to her disappointment, they were forced to stop by another car driving towards them. She put the car into park and waited for the other person to start backing out. When that did not happen, she scoffed and unbuckled herself to get out of the car. As she walked around the car, she noticed that the other person decided to step out, as well, so she waited for him to get closer. Looking up from the ground, Felicity was not expecting to see probably the most handsome man she has ever laid eyes on. For a second, she was flustered but quickly got herself together to greet him. - “Hi.”

“Hello.” – The man greeted her back and did not say anything else, looking at her with an expectant expression. Felicity did not really know what she was supposed to say and decided to just get straight to the point without beating around the bush. - “Could you please back out so that we can drive through?”

“Um… Didn’t you see the sign? I have right-of-way.” – The man asked her incredulously with a question look on his face, cracking a smile at her request.

“Of course, I saw the sign but… we are kind of in rush because of an emergency, so would you be so kind and reverse back?” – Felicity replied and made an attempt to look at him with the best puppy dog eyes she could manage, not really feeling up to continuing this argument. For a few seconds, he just continued looking at her with an intense expression and eventually gave in, turning around to walk back to his truck. - “Okaay…”

Felicity could not help the triumphant smile that crossed her face and made a mental fist bump before walking back to the others. Staying true to his promise, the man backed out of the roadblock failing to notice the pieces of a broken glass scattered on the road. The sound of a flat tire disrupted the peacefulness of the mountains and Felicity winced, knowing that she was to blame for this. When they drove by his truck, he was kneeling down next to one of the tires and appeared to be slightly angry, rightfully so of course. Felicity was honestly feeling bad for him, so she rolled down the window to apologize.

“I’m so sorry. I would offer to help you but I think I would just make the situation worse.”

“It’s not a problem but please just make sure that next time you check before you drive into a roadblock.” – Felicity was glad to hear that his response was light and filled with humor, no trace of the anger she previously saw on his face. He gave her a small reassuring smile and she couldn’t help but blush at the intensity in his eyes. They continued to look at each other for what seemed like hours, when Felicity finally managed to take her eyes off of him. - “Alright. I’m sorry again. Goodbye.”

She drove away and it took them ten more minutes to get to the lodge. She parked the car near the entrance and took a look around, realizing that the pictures did not do this place justice. It was even more beautiful in person and the view from up there was breathtaking, as well. They admired the landscape for a few more minutes before retrieving their luggage from the trunk and then walked inside only to see that the interior of the lodge was even more gorgeous. The foyer was decorated nicely and consisted of a small sitting area with three leather armchairs around a coffee table, a small reception area under a stone archway and a wooden stairway leading up to the second floor. They were shaken out of their awe, when a small good-looking brunette sitting behind the desk greeted them with a huge smile on her face.

“Welcome to Queen’s Lodge. My name is Thea Queen. How may I help you?”

“We have made a reservation for four adults.” – As expected, Iris answered her question, as she was the one who organized this entire trip.

“Okay, may I get your name, please?”

“Iris. Iris West.”

“Okay. I see now… You guys have a reservation for the loft for four persons. Alright, all I need you guys to do is fill in these forms and then you guys are free to occupy your rooms. If you have any problems or questions, we are here for you guys 24/7. Oh, and here is a schedule for the activities we have planned for this week. We hope to see you guys there.”

Thea gave each of them a form, which asked for some basic information about them, alongside a pen and walked away for a minute to get some help for their luggage. The four of them did not require much time for the forms and each of them were ready by the time Thea returned with two men. One of them looked like he just walked out of Abercrombie and Fitch advert and the other was around their age, equally as handsome as the other one.

“Thank you so much. Have a nice stay!” – She said when she saw that they were ready to occupy their room. – “Roy, René, could you guys take these ladies’ luggage up to the loft, please?”

Walking inside the loft, they arrived at a small entry hall which led to a spacious living room with a sitting area consisting of an L-shaped couch, an armchair, a coffee table and a fireplace. On their left, there was a hallway that led to their bedrooms and on their right, you could see a small kitchen with basic appliances.

* * *

Being finally done with packing, Felicity decided to go for a walk around the property. She was about to turn and walk down the stairs, when suddenly she walked into a brick wall. For a second, she truly believed that she somehow managed to take the turn too early but her theory was proven to be wrong, when she looked up and the brick wall was actually a man. Not just _a_ man. It was the same man they met at the roadblock, the same man who had a flat tire because of her.

“I’m so sorry, I was…” – Flat tire guy began to apologize before he looked up from his phone and stopped midsentence, obviously recognizing her from before. - “Hello.”

“Hi”

“It seems like we meet again.” – He said as his face light up with a huge grin, finding this predicament rather amusing. – “Did you manage to take care of your emergency?”

Hearing his question caused Felicity to look down at her feet as she felt her cheeks starting to burn up in embarrassment. She was honestly feeling quite guilty, as she knew that it was her fault that he got stuck at the side of the road. - “Oh my God, this is so embarrassing.” - Not being able to look him in the eyes, she muttered quietly, waiting for the ground to swallow her up.

“No, it isn’t.”

“Yes, it is. I’m so sorry once again.” – Felicity argued and apologized, trying to compile a reasonable explanation for the white lie she had told him. - “We have been travelling since 6 a.m. and the GPS stopped working, so I was kind of fed up with the whole situation.”

The flat tire guy smiled at her explanation and appeared to be truly sorry about teasing her and making her uncomfortable, as his expression became more serious. - “I apologize. I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, I was just making a joke.”

“It’s funny how life sometimes works, isn’t it?”

“Tell me about it.” – She chuckled and was relieved to be feeling most of the weight being lifted off of her shoulders. - “So are you guest here, too?”

“Not quite. I actually own the place.

“No… Really? Oh my God, this has just become even more embarrassing.”

“No, it hasn’t. You know what, I have an idea. What do you say we start over?”

“I’d like that very much.” – She answered honestly and put her hand forward for a handshake with a beaming smile. - “Hi, my name is Felicity Smoak.”

“Oliver Queen. It’s very nice to meet you Felicity Smoak.” – He introduced himself as well and shook her hand, not being able to wipe the glowing grin off of his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter, as well. I wanted Oliver and Felicity to have a "run-in" with each other before their official first meeting to make it even more interesting. Sorry for any mistakes. It's quite late here now but I wanted to get the next chapter out before New Years' Eve. Feedback would be very much appreciated!
> 
> Wishing you a very happy New Year,  
> AC


	3. Life can be a little funny sometimes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. First of all, thank you very much for the kudos, bookmarks and comments. They mean the world to me. I know it's been a while since the last chapter but I returned to college and I had a lot of work to do. I hope you will like this chapter. I know that Christmas is over already but I hope that you are still enjoying this story.  
> AC

Aspen, Colorado

Oliver Queen likes to consider himself to be an optimistic person. He always makes sure to be patient and tries to stay positive no matter how hard it is. He is aware that life is full of bumps and pitfalls but he considers these pitfalls something to learn from, giving him an opportunity to become better. However, it was easier said than done. Each day presented a different set of problems and today was one of those days, where his optimism was standing on its last leg, extremely close to falling down. Oliver had a feeling that not everything was going to go smoothly and was prepared to deal with any kind of problems, so when the supplier called, he immediately got in the car and started driving. Something that he was not expecting however was a flat tire. Everything was going well until the moment a car was driving towards him in a roadblock, in which he clearly had right-of-road. He was about to tell them but the words somehow got stuck in his mouth when he laid eyes on her. The other driver ended up being a small petite woman in yoga pants and oversized MIT sweatshirt. She looked kind of tired and worn out but still attractive. There was something about her that made it hard for him to argue. She intrigued him, making him feel something that he has never felt before. He couldn’t pinpoint what exactly that feeling was but he liked it and against his better judgement, he agreed to back out of the roadblock, allowing them to drive by. As if his day couldn’t get any better, he failed to notice the pieces of broken glasses scattered over the road and drove right on them, puncturing one of his tires. For a moment, he felt annoyed as he was not really feeling up to changing a tire in this weather, hating the fact that he was late for the opening of his own ski lodge. Not wanting to waste any more time, Oliver was about to get to work, when the blonde woman drove by him and rolled down the window, apologizing with an obviously guilty expression. Much to his surprise and confusion, their short conversation somehow seemed to have eased some of his annoyance, making this disastrous situation a tiny bit better. It took him one more hour to finally get back to the lodge and by that time, he was feeling sweaty and filthy and a desperate need for a shower.

He would have preferred to slip inside without anyone noticing but he was not that lucky thanks to Thea, who was standing behind the reception desk, preoccupied by something on the computer in front of her. Oliver knew that the chances of him being able to walk by her without her seeing were pretty slim and therefore decided to just simply walk up to desk. - “Hi”

“Hi. What took you so long?”

Knowing Thea for as long as he did, Oliver was clearly aware that she would not let him go without finding out why he was late and why he looked like something the cat dragged in. As he was not really in the mood to go into the details of his rather eventful excursion to the town, he quickly decided to avert the topic to something more important. - “I’ll tell you later… Was everything okay here?”

“Yes, it was. Each guest arrived safely. Most of them are in their room now, I believe.”

“Wonderful. How are we with the decorations and ornaments for tonight?” – Having a degree in business, Oliver knew that the secret to a successful business was to keep people wanting more of your service. All of them thought that a great way to make this place even more appealing to people was to plan activities everybody would enjoy. As Christmas season would not be the same without a Christmas tree, Oliver and the others decided that for the first day, they would bring a tree and they would decorate it together with the guests. It would make this season feel even more special, giving them a great opportunity to socialize with the guests and start building relationships and creating connections.

“Dinah and Lyla are getting everything ready in the living room and the guys are bringing the Christmas tree.”

“That’s great. I’m going to go back to my room and make myself more presentable.” – He announced and turned around to walk over to the staircase right next to the reception desk. He was putting his foot on the first step of the stairs, when Thea called after him, making him stop from retreating to his room.

“Wait, you never told me what happened.”

“I don’t really have time for that now. I’ll talk to you later.”

Oliver replied with a conclusive tone he hoped would make Thea understand that he was not going to continue the conversation. The time for the afternoon activity was getting closer and he did not really want to introduce himself to his guest, looking like he has just run an entire marathon. Making sure that Thea finally got the message, he turned around and kept on walking towards his room, taking out his phone from his pocket to check the message he has just received. He was almost at the top of the stairs when he suddenly collided with something, causing him to reach forward, only to come in contact with the warm and soft flesh of another human being.

“I’m so sorry, I was…” – Oliver was not able to finish the sentence, as he looked up and locked eyes with the same woman who was driving the other car at the roadblock. For a moment, Oliver was lost for words, not really expecting to meet her ever again. He felt the corners of his mouth lifting up into a grin, trying to comprehend what was going on. They were still staring at each other and it was becoming a bit embarrassing with his hand still on her forearm, so he muttered a quick greeting. - “Hello.”

It took the woman a couple of more minutes before she returned to reality, appearing to be as equally flabbergasted as he was. She shook her head slightly and took a step back, trying to create some distance between them. - “Hi”

“It seems like we meet again. Did you manage to take care of your emergency?” – Oliver was aware that it was not really appropriate behavior with a guest but he could not help teasing her about her white lie. As he was expecting, her cheeks have become as red as an apple and she looked down at her feet, clearly avoiding eye contact with him because of everything that happened. - “Oh my God, this is so embarrassing.”

“No, it isn’t” – Oliver knew that he may have gone too far with his comment and was feeling quite guilty because of it. That is why he decided to take a chance and put his hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her that the situation was not as bad as she thought.

“Yes, it is. I’m so sorry once again.” – She was still not reciprocating his gaze, which made it very hard for him to convince her otherwise. When he was about to repeat his previous statement, she began with her explanation. - “We have been travelling since 6 a.m. and the GPS stopped working, so I was kind of fed up with the whole situation.”

Once she was finished with ramble, Oliver sent her a small smile, which he hoped would show her that he understood, and began with his own apology for his unthoughtful comment. - “I apologize. I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, I was just making a joke.”

After everything that has happened today with the supplier and the flat tire, Oliver should have known better not to anticipate more surprises. Life has a funny way of proving us wrong. - “It’s funny how life sometimes works, isn’t it?”

“Tell me about it.” – She answered with a light chuckle and finally looked into his eyes. For a split second, Oliver froze getting lost in her eyes, which were a beautiful shade of blue. He didn’t have much time to take a look at her back at the road but now he could see that she was very attractive. She changed into a purple sweater, which showed off her figure better and her hair was now down in small curls, framing her face in a beautiful way. - “So are you guest here, too?”

Oliver knew that question would eventually come up and was desperately trying to avoid it, as he had a feeling it would make the situation much worse. - “Not quite. I actually own the place.

“No… Really? Oh my God, this has just become even more embarrassing.”

“No, it hasn’t. You know what, I have an idea. What do you say we start over?”

“I’d like that very much.” – She answered and put her hand forward, obviously waiting for him to shake it. - “Hi, my name is Felicity Smoak.”

“Oliver Queen. It’s very nice to meet you Felicity Smoak.” – He introduced himself and placed his hand inside hers. When her soft palm met with his calloused one, a swirl of electricity rushed through him, making him forget where he was for a moment. Eventually, they let go of each other and he scratched the back of his head.

“I was just going to go for a walk around the property.”

“Of course. Enjoy your walk and I hope to see you tonight at the Christmas tree decorating.”

“Thank you and I’ll try to be there.”

Oliver acknowledged her answer with a small nod and stepped out of her way to let her continue with her walk. They exchanged a last smile as a goodbye and Felicity was on her way downstairs. For a moment, Oliver just stood there and smiled to himself, still having trouble wrapping his head around the events of the day and it was not even noon yet.

* * *

The lodge was located at the bottom of the mountain in the middle of a huge property surrounded by a wrought iron fence. It was in a quite secluded area with only a few other houses down the street. It created a really gorgeous sight with the Christmas decorations, pine trees and the mountains in the background, which put together looked like an unfinished painting. The snow has started to fall again lightly, covering the land with a thick blanket of white. Growing up in Las Vegas, Felicity has never really been given a chance to appreciate how beautiful it can be and after an exhausting morning spent with travelling, taking a stroll around the property in this beautiful weather was exactly what Felicity needed to refresh a little bit. As nice as the scenery was, Felicity had something else that was haunting her thoughts. Oliver. The man she thought she would never see again after that whole fiasco with the roadblock. She expected him to be angry with, even yell at her because of what happened but that was not at all what happened. He was really nice, joking with her and giving her sweet smiles with the intention of reassuring her that everything was okay. She had no idea what was it about him that made her insides warm and set a bunch of butterflies loose in the pit of her stomach every time she looked at him. Sure, he was a handsome man but she encounters handsome men on a daily basis and none of them have triggered such a reaction from her. Trying to shake Oliver from her thoughts, she went back to their room and met Sara who was sitting on the couch, looking at something on her phone.

“Hi. How was you walk?” – She inquired, looking up from the device in her hands.

“It was nice. This place is really beautiful.” – She answered, still debating whether or not she should bring up her encounter with Oliver. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and decided to just simply tell her everything. – “Do you remember that guy we met on the way here?”

“The one with the flat tire? Yeah, I do. In fact, I still kind of feel bad for him. Why do you ask?” – Sara said and put her phone on the coffee table, sitting up straighter on the couch to look at her.

“Well, you are not going to believe this but he is actually the owner of this place.”

The expression on Sara’s face most definitely matched the one on Felicity’s when she bumped into Oliver at the staircase. She looked at her with a shock evident in her eyes and her mouth opened up in the shape of an ‘O’. - “What? You’re kidding me.”

“No, I’m not. I’ve just run into him on the way down.”

“Wow. That must have been embarrassing.”

“At first, it kind of was but we decided to just put it behind us. Oliver was really nice about it.”

“Oliver, huh? What else did you guys talk about?” – The other blond asked with a teasing smile while wriggling her eyebrows. Felicity rolled her eyes at her friend’s antics and bumped her shoulders with hers. She was not really feeling like discussing her newfound ‘something’ for the owner with her friend. She would like a chance to figure out what exactly it is that she was feeling. – “Sara, stop it! We decided to just forget about the past and start over.”

“That’s great and all but you cannot deny the fact that he is hot.”

That is where she was right. It was quite hard to miss that when they first met but now that she has seen him up close, she saw that he was even more gorgeous. – “I can’t argue with that.” – They both laughed at her answer and decided to go and check out the hot tub that was on the balcony of the top floor.

* * *

After a nice 15-minute-long hot shower, Oliver was feeling like himself again and decided to go downstairs to rejoin his sister and the other staff members. The time for tonight’s activity was nearing and they still had some stuff to do before they could greet their guests. Drying himself with a towel, Oliver threw on a gray Henley and a pair of dark washed jeans. After that, he walked downstairs, only to find the reception desk empty. That was quite surprising since Thea was supposed to be there until later. Maybe, she was in the staff room.

“Thea?” – He called out her name, expecting her to walk out of the break room slash office but much to his surprise, her head popped up from behind the desk where she was kneeling down, searching for something in the small cabinet. - “I’m here.”

“What are looking for?” – He inquired and hunkered down to take a look at the things that she took out of the cabinet. The floor behind the reception desk was covered with different papers, batteries, pens and all kind of different stuff.

“Where do we keep the spare lightbulbs?”

“They’re in the cabinet in the office, why?”

Oliver’s answer seemed to have caused annoyance his sister, as she let out a long sigh, clearly upset by the fact that she had been going through these cabinets for the last ten minutes for nothing. Oliver helped her clean up the mess and then followed her into the office with a document in his hand that he was meaning to look over earlier. - “Someone from the loft have just called that a lightbulb burned out in their room.”

At the mention of their biggest room, Oliver stopped in his tracks and lifted his head from the paper, already forgetting the reason why he was reading it in the first place. - “The loft? That is where that group of friends are staying, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I still can’t find them, are you sure they are here?”

Seeing that Thea was still having trouble finding the lightbulbs, he decided to put her out of her misery and walked over to the right spot, taking out a box himself - You know what Thea, why don’t you take a break? I’ll handle the lightbulb.”

Thea appeared to be surprised by his suggestion and looked at him with a quizzical expression on her face. - “But weren’t you about to go through that?”

“Yes, but that can wait.”

“You’re acting weird. Why are you so keen on doing this?”

“No reason.” – Oliver exclaimed quickly, trying to think of a way to answer his sister’s question without giving away too much about his true intentions. Eventually, he went with a small lie, hoping that Thea would get off his back. - “You’ve been here all morning, you must be exhausted. I just don’t want you to tire yourself out.”

Something that Oliver has never been particularly good at was lying, especially to his sister. Thea has always been able to see through his deception, never missing a chance to call him out on it. However, she appeared to be satisfied with his answer for now but he could see it in her eyes that he would hear about this later.

* * *

Standing in front of the door to the loft, Oliver was having second thoughts about his decision to take this task over from Thea. The thought of seeing Felicity again made him so excited that it somehow slipped his mind that there are three other people living in that room who could have easily called down, as well. As he was contemplating possible outcomes of the situation, he realized that he had been standing in front of their door motionless for a creepily long amount of time. Not wanting attract unwanted attention, he decided to just throw caution to the wind and stepped closer to the door, lightly tapping the wooden surface with his knuckles. He could hear some movement inside the loft and in a couple of seconds, the door was swung open by the blonde he was hoping to see. He may be in luck this time.

“Oliver, what are you doing here?” – Felicity inquired, with surprise clearly written all over her features. She looked absolutely adorable with her head tilted and her hands on her hips, making the end of his lips tug up in a small smile. _Wait, what is going on?_ He has just met this girl and now he was thinking she was adorable. This situation was getting crazier by the minute with twist and turns almost every step of the way. Oliver was aware that he was supposed to be angry with her, that he was supposed to be telling her to pay for the tire but instead, he was feeling more and more drawn to her and he was loving every minute of it. - “Someone called down because of broken lightbulb.”

“Yeah, I know, it was me. I just thought that a staff member would bring it up.” – She answered with a teasing glint in her eyes and a flirty grin on her face. At the first, Oliver was a bit surprised by her answer but tried to cover it up, quickly and replied, hoping he was not too out of his game. - “Do I really come off as that type of a boss?”

“I was just kidding.” – He acknowledged her answer with a small nod and smile, proceeding with his original task. He lifted his hand to show her the small box in his hand and inquired about the location of the broken facility. - “So where is that lightbulb that needs replacing?

“In the bathroom. Do you need me to show you? Sorry, what am I asking? You own the place, so you clearly know where the bathroom is. I’m just going to shut up and let you go to the bathroom.” – It was quite amusing to watch as Felicity went from flirting to nervously rambling over the course of a few minutes. He watched her as she turned around on the balls of her feet and headed in the direction of the bedroom at the end of the corridor. Walking through the small room, he could see a big suitcase laid out right next to the king sized bed with piles of clothes around it.

“Please, don’t mind the mess. I’m in the middle of unpacking.”

“It’s no problem” – He answered and bypassed the suitcase, stepping into the dark bathroom illuminated only by the light of a couple of candles. He put down the box with the lightbulb on the sink and handed Felicity a flash light, silently asking her to help him. She understood his intentions and turned it on, pointing it towards the area between the shower and faucet where the lamp was.

“Did you enjoy your walk?” – He asked, filling the silence that has taken over the room.

“Yes, it was great. This place is absolutely beautiful.”

“I am happy to hear that. Once you are here, it’s very hard not to fall in love with this place. I mean, the first I saw it, I knew it was going to be something special for me and I wanted to share that feeling with the world.”

“That is why you decided to open the lodge?”

“It was one of the reasons. To be honest, growing up, I’ve never really known what I wanted to do. I’ve never really had anything that I was passionate about until I came across this place. One of the best moments of my life.” - The way he talked about this lodge was a clear indication of how important it was for him. It was rather sweet to see him so invested and enthusiastic. His wide smile lighted up the pitch black room and the sparkle in his eyes made a swirl of warmness wash through her body. She didn’t know him at all but she could sense the love and adoration he was feeling for this place. She was not aware of the reason behind that but she could see that this lodge has helped him a lot, which for a weird reason made her deliriously happy.

* * *

By the time Oliver arrived to the living room, the Christmas tree decoration was in full swing. The sound of laughter and light chatter filled the room, as small children were running around, chasing each other, while the adults were chatting about various topics. He could see the members of his staff in deep conversations with various people and he was happy to see that they already began getting to a personal level with the guests. Oliver walked over to the middle of the room and cleared his throat with the intention of getting everybody’s attention. Surely, each head turned in his direction so he proceeded with his speech.

“Welcome everybody! Thank you so much for taking the time and joining us on this beautiful winter evening. It means the world to us that you chose to spend this Christmas here. We want everybody to feel comfortable and at home here during this precious season and that is why brought this tree. You can find the decorations right here. You can go as crazy as you want with them because in the end, it’s not what’s on or under the tree that matters. It’s who’s gathered around it. Thank you very much.”

Oliver’s speech was greeted with a round of applause and bright smiles from all over the room. Twenty minutes later, the guest were walking around with different ornaments in their hands, putting it on the large tree in the corner of the room. He was handing a star to a little girl when he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around only to be encountered with Felicity’s beautiful face. - “Hi.”

“Hi. You came.”

“Yes, I did. Are we late?” – Felicity inquired as she took a look around the living room, noticing the almost ready tree.

“No, you are right in time.” – He answered and handed her an ornament. As she took it out of his hand, their fingers brushed against each other, sending a shot of electricity through his body. He could see that their small touch was affecting her as much as him. They spent the entire evening talking and laughing, enjoying each other’s company. The more time they spent together, the more certain Oliver became that this day would probably be the best day of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the chapter. I didn't really have time to proofread the chapter, so I apologize for the possible mistakes. Feedback would be appreciated.  
> Much love,  
> AC


	4. Those little moments with you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,  
> Once again, thank you for everything and I'm sorry that it took me so long to finish this chapter. I was in a little bit of a writer's block because Arrow came to an end. I didn't know how to go on with the story but fortunately, I figured it out and I hope you guys will want to read it, as well.  
> Love,  
> AC

Those little moments with you

_"Eventually you’ll end up where you need to be, with who you’re meant to be with, and doing what you should be doing.”_

Snow was still falling lightly when Oliver awoke from one of the best sleeps he has had in a very long time. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had slept so peacefully and it was all thanks to a certain blonde. After everything that happened over the course of the last few years, Oliver was not expecting to meet anyone who would make him feel like this again. She stumbled into his life in the most unexpected way possible but he knew it from the first time they met that she was different. The sound of her laughter was like music to his ears and the sight of her smile made a swirl of warmness shoot through his body. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had such a good time without even one sip of any kind of alcohol. He couldn’t recall the last time he felt so free and like himself.

There was just something about this girl that brought out a side of him that has been safely tucked into a hidden corner of his body for the longest time he could remember. He had no idea what it was, all he knew was that he wanted to spend more time with her. He wanted to get to know her better and discover whether everything he was feeling could lead to something special or it was only in his head. Taking a look at the alarm clock on his nightstand, he realized that it was time to start getting ready and go downstairs to prepare for and manage the first breakfast session.

Thirty minutes later, he was downstairs at the restaurant, covering the tables with freshly washed tablecloths and setting up the space for the food by the wall with plates, glasses and heaters. Now that everything was ready for the guests to arrive, Oliver let himself wonder whether Felicity would have breakfast here. It was honestly quite unbelievable how much this woman has taken over his thoughts in such a short amount of time. Every time the thought of her crossed his mind, the corners of his lip would automatically turn upwards, resulting in a large smile. Little did he know, his unusually bright smiles and good mood was more than apparent to the people around him.

“What is going on with him? I’ve never seen him so…” – Dinah asked while she sat down next to Thea, not really being able to find the right words to describe the current mood of her boss.

Lucky for her, the girl next to her came up with the best adjective to finish her sentence. - “Giddy? Yeah… I don’t really know but I have a couple of guesses.” – She quickly added as her mind travelled to the sight of his brother with a certain blond woman from yesterday evening.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I have just never seen him like this before.”

“I know what you mean. Ollie, he changed a lot since we moved but yesterday was the first time I saw a glimpse of his old self.” - Thea answered with a determined glint in her eyes. She was going to find out who she was and she was going to thank him for bringing her brother back.

* * *

The next morning, Felicity Smoak woke up happy and completely relaxed, which came as a bit of a surprise. It was an unfamiliar sensation for her as most mornings she would usually turn into a hot mess without coffee, but not today. Feeling lighter than ever, she lied back against the pillows and stretched out her muscles as her mouth curved into a small smile. The decision to attend the Christmas tree decorating yesterday was made quite abruptly to say the least but eventually, it resulted in her having one of the best nights of her life.

To the rest of the world and to most people in her life, Felicity Smoak has always been known as a workaholic. Over the years, she has gotten multiple earfuls from her friends as well as from her mother for not being able to leave her work where it belongs and just simply enjoy life. To a certain extent, they were all right as lately, Felicity have spent most of her time building her company and making sure that it was running smoothly. She went out of her way to avoid as many social gatherings as she could and never stopped to enjoy the small moments of life. Yesterday, it was different though. Felicity wanted to go to the Christmas tree decorating and she actually had a lot of fun, feeling kind of sad, when the night came to end.

Spending time with Oliver turned out to be amazing and left her craving for more. Oliver… When Felicity agreed to come on this trip, she did not expect to meet a man that would make her feel like this. He was probably the most handsome man she has ever seen but his good looks were complemented with a great personality, as well. They didn’t really get to go into anything deep during their conversation yesterday, discussing mostly their friends and exchanging different holiday traditions from when they were younger.

The sound of a fist colliding with the wooden surface of the door disturbed the peaceful silence of her bedroom and was followed by Iris’ loud voice. - “Felicity, it’s time to wake up.” – Her best friend exclaimed and walked down the rest of the hallway, probably to wake up the others. Felicity let out a small grunt, kind of annoyed that her daydreaming about Oliver was interrupted but eventually managed to leave the warmness of her bed to go and take a shower. It took her ten more minutes to brush her teeth and to throw on something comfortable before stepping out of her room. When she entered the living room, she took a look around and noticed Iris sitting on one of the couches by herself. - “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” – Her best friend greeted her back with a mischievous smile and a weird look on her face. Felicity could see determination in her eyes and she looked at her intensely, as if she was waiting for her to confess something. It was like she wanted to look into her mind. - “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What do you mean?”

“You are looking at me like you are trying to read my mind.” – Felicity elaborated as she walked over to the couch opposite of Iris and sat down. For a couple of seconds, her best friend just kept on watching her, appearing to be unsure of how to answer her question. She eventually went with a simple statement. - “You were out until pretty late last night.”

Felicity shook her head slightly, expecting her to say that after last night and began to think of ways to get out of this situation. She should have known that telling them about the activity from yesterday evening was a mistake the moment she opened her mouth but at that time, she considered it the better choice. Had she chosen to go alone, she would have surely gotten some strange looks but at least she would have saved herself from the torment of answering these questions. She felt her friends watching her the entire night but she has just chosen to ignore them. She knew that they had her best interest at heart but the problem was that Felicity herself did not know what to tell them. Everything was still kind of new and she would like to see where it would go before she told them anything. - “Yeah, and?”

“Come on, give me some details. I saw you talking with that hot guy. Who was he?” – Iris inquired about the identity of Oliver with excitement written all over her face. It faded quite quickly because she noticed that Felicity was not going to be as cooperative as she would have hoped. - “Come on, why won’t you just tell me?”

Knowing her best friend, Felicity was aware that there was no use in trying to tiptoe around the question. She could try but Iris would eventually get it out of her one way or the other. She was like a needy child when it came to these things. Whenever she wanted something, she would do absolutely anything to get it and now she wanted details. - “Do you remember the guy who had a flat tire because of us on the way up here?”

“Yes, vaguely. I think I was half-asleep.”

“Well, it was him… And he owns the place.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, her best friend’s excitement was replaced by shock and for a few minutes, the living room fell completely silent. It took Iris a while to comprehend what Felicity has just said before she opened her mouth to exclaim loudly. - “What?! Oh, my God. That’s crazy.”

“I know that it sounds kind of crazy but we decided to start over and he is actually a very nice guy.”

The shock about Felicity’s revelation wore off quickly and Iris was back to her old self, digging for details and grilling her about last night. It’s been quite a while since the last time Felicity was involved with a man so it was no surprise that the brunette got overly excited about this news. - “That’s great. Girl, I’m so happy for you.”

“There is nothing to be happy about. We just talked.” – Felicity said, trying to brush off the suggestive looks that her best friend was sending her way.

“It definitely did not look like that.”

“That was just harmless flirting. He probably has a girlfriend.” – Felicity made a final attempt at diverting the topic form yesterday night but Iris was having none of it, regarding her with a ‘girl stop fooling yourself’ look and stood up from her spot on the couch, coming over to where she was sitting.

“If he’d had a girlfriend, he would not have looked at you the way he did.”

“It doesn’t matter. He lives here, I live in Starling so it would never work.”

“Felicity…”

“Where are the others? We should head downstairs before all the food is gone.” – She stood up from the couch and walked over to the hallway to check on Sara and Caitlin, not bothering to answer Iris. She knew that the brunette just wanted her to be happy and she loved her all the more for it. However, Felicity simply had some reservations when it came to relationships. This situation with Oliver was quite exciting but scary at the same time because she liked him and she could see something special happening between them. That was why she just didn’t want to get her hopes up because if things didn’t work out, she would end up disappointed and heartbroken, again and she was not sure, if her hear would be able to take that. She has had enough of that for a lifetime.

* * *

It was nearing nine am and Oliver was knee deep in work. The restaurant was in full swing, filled with guests who were all enjoying their meal while having quiet conversations. He was about to refill the drink drawer with orange juice, when the sound of laughter caught his attention. It was a familiar sound, something he has heard before and there was something in it that made it unable for him not to turn around and look towards the entrance of the restaurant. To his absolute delight, Felicity walked through the door, followed by three other girls who were probably her friends. The four of them were laughing about something funny, taking a stop near the entrance to take a look around the room and search for a free table.

For a split second, Oliver stopped what he was doing to admire the woman standing on the opposite side of the room. Felicity was a sight to behold. She was wearing dark jeans that hugged her body perfectly with a gray cashmere sweater that looked amazing on her as it highlighted her flawless skin. Her hair was loose around her shoulders in small curls and her smile was radiant, almost infectious. Before he could think about what was happening, his legs automatically started moving and headed over to the group of friends.

As he was nearing the sport where they were standing, he saw one of the girls turn his way and notice him walking towards them. At the sight of him, realization washed over her face and the ends of her lips curved into a huge grin. After that, she put her hand on Felicity’s shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Once the brunette pulled away from her, Felicity quickly turned around and looked straight into his eyes. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other until Oliver gathered himself to step up to them and greeted the group of friends. - “Good morning.”

“Good morning. Guys look, there is a free table. I think we should go sit down.” – Felicity’s blond friend was the first one to speak up and quickly shooed away the rest of the group. When the woman in front of him saw how rapidly her friends ran away from the two of them, he let out a quiet chuckle and mumbled under her breath. - “Well, that was subtle.”

“Yes, very subtle.” – Oliver’s answer was followed by his own chuckle and he scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling nervous about his current predicament. - “Not to be rude or anything, since your friends are my guest but I’m glad it’s just us.”

Suddenly, Oliver felt like he lost control of his mind and body. His heart skipped a beat after his own statement as it was kind of straightforward and he didn’t know how Felicity would react. He lift his head up to look at her, only to see her looking at her shoes, her body slightly turned away from his. She appeared to be more nervous than he was and for a split second, Oliver could swear that he saw her face flush. – “I had a great time last night.”

Oliver’s declaration seemed to have made the color of Felicity’s cheeks to become an even deeper shade of red. She quickly attempted to gather herself a little bit before looking up at the man in front of her and replying. - “So did I. You’re really fun to talk to.”

“The same goes for you.” – He answered honestly and smiled at her, trying to find a way to continue the conversation. - “Actually, some of us are going sledding this afternoon. You guys are welcome to join us.”

“Yeah, that would be fun.” - Oliver was relieved to hear Felicity agree and glad to see the way her face lighted up upon hearing his suggestion about spending time together. It would have certainly been better to spend some time with her alone but it was too soon for that and frankly, he was just happy that she agreed. They exchanged a few more words before Oliver got called away by someone from the kitchen and Felicity walked over to their table to rejoin her friends.

* * *

Throughout the entire breakfast, Felicity was having trouble concentrating on whatever her friends were saying. She believes that Sara was talking about a girl that she met at the gym here and there was also something about an old friend. She wasn’t really sure as her thoughts kept on wandering off to a man who has been occupying her thoughts lately more than she would be willing to let on.

Even though, she was adamant on denying it, she was really looking forward to seeing him again. When Oliver invited her to go sledding, she had to try her best to contain the excitement that burst over her. Luckily for her, the man in question didn’t return from the kitchen so it made it a little bit easier. The trail of her thoughts were interrupted when Caitlin stood up from her chair, signaling that it was time to go back to their room. They were walking up the staircase, when Felicity noticed that her cellphone was missing. She checked each of her pockets but the device was nowhere to be found.

“Where is my phone?” – Felicity said, thinking out loud. Sara turned around to look at her and answered her question. - “I don’t know. Did you have it with you during breakfast?”

“Yes. I think I left it downstairs. I’m going to go and get it.”

“Okay. See you when you get back.”

She turned back around and headed back in the direction of the restaurant. Once she got to its entrance, she could see that it was completely empty now, all the other guest having left already. She walked to their table and saw her cellphone right at the edge of it. She grabbed it and was about to walk out, when somebody called her name from behind her. Felicity turned around only to see Oliver standing by the door to the kitchen. - “Hi.”

“Hi. What brings you back here?” – Oliver inquired, wiping his hands with a kitchen towel.

“I left my phone.” – She answered his question and lifted her hand to show him the device. She looked up from the device in her hands and noticed that his t-shirt was covered with a white substance, probably flour. - “What are you doing?”

“I am preparing for the gingerbread house building tomorrow.” – Oliver answered her question and looked down to where she was pointing at, patting his chest lightly to get rid of the patches. Once he was done, he looked at her with an unreadable expression and opened his mouth to form a question she was not at all expecting. - “Would you like to help?”

“Oh, no. You do not want me anywhere near your kitchen.”

“Come on, you cannot be that bad.”

“Oliver, I burn water. I am that bad.”

“Well, I’m just making the dough, so you can’t do much damage.” – Oliver must have seen that it was not going to be easy to convince her, so he grabbed her by the elbow and lightly dragged her towards the open doors of the kitchen. - “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Felicity realized that there was no point in resisting and followed him inside. She did not know what to expect, since she has never actually been to the kitchen of a restaurant. However, she has seen movies and the room before looked exactly like those, maybe a little bit smaller. Walking further inside, she took a look around and noticed that one of the counters were filled with several bowls, all of them presumably containing the ingredients for the dough for the gingerbread houses. Felicity followed Oliver to the counter and grabbed the apron he handed her. He was already dressed for the occasion and stepped behind the counter, waiting for her to put on her apron.

“Okay, so what am I supposed to do now?” – She inquired, having absolutely no idea why in the world she agreed to do this.

“Well, since I already mixed the ingredients, the only thing left to do is the kneading.” – Oliver answered and turned to look at her, proceeding to show her the proper movements. However, it was a waste of time as she did not know what she was doing and was only making a complete mess of the place.

At the sight of her clumsiness, an adorable smile appeared on Oliver’s face and he went to stand behind her, taking a hold of her hand with both of his and lightly pressing his front to her back. As soon as their skins made contact, her heart skipped a beat and she had to swallow a moan. It was a rather intimate situation and she is not going to lie, she really enjoyed it. Apparently, their closeness had some sort of an effect on Oliver, too as she felt his body stiffen when he touched her.

“Am I doing it right?” – Oliver acknowledged her question with a nod, giving her hands one last small squeeze before stepping back. As soon as Felicity felt him leave her side, she immediately missed his warmness and a weird sense of sadness washed through her body. They went silent for a couple of minutes, before a crazy idea popped into Felicity’s head. She grabbed a handful of the flour and playfully threw in Oliver’s face.

The look on Oliver’s face was absolutely priceless and Felicity couldn’t help but laugh at the shocked expression on his face. - “Oh, yeah? You are so going to pay for that.” – Oliver exclaimed with a smirk on his face and grabbed the bag of flour, intending to pour it all over her. Fortunately, Felicity managed to duck out at the last moment so most of the white substance got on the floor.

After that, they began to chase each other around the kitchen, managing to get in a couple of good shots at each other. Eventually, Oliver caught her by the waist from behind and picked her up, swirling them around for a few times. Their moment was interrupted, when Oliver’s sister entered the kitchen - “Ollie, are you in here?”

The moment she noticed them along with the mess in the room, she exclaimed with a shocked edge to her voice. - “What is going on?”

Oliver put her back on the ground before acknowledging his sister with a short answer while she bashfully looked away from the knowing look Thea was sending their way. After they cleared the elephant in the room, Thea went back to the reception while Oliver and Felicity tried to clean up most of the flour from their clothes.

“I should leave. Oh, wait let me help you clean up this mess.”

“Don’t worry about it. Thank you for your help. See you later?”

“Yes, see you later.”

* * *

The moment Felicity stepped into the room, she was greeted with four of her best friends looking at her with mixture of surprise and shock on their faces. No matter how much she would have preferred to avoid this conversation but she knew that it was bound to happen. She sat down on the couch next to them and answered the questions they had and their conversation ended with all of her friends expressing their happiness for her budding ‘something’ with Oliver. Even though they were most definitely getting closer to each other, she still had no idea how to define their relationship.

For the rest of the morning, they hung out with each other, going downstairs to the spa and spending some time in the town. Before she knew it, it was already time for today’s activity, which was sledding. She has never really been the outdoor type of person but she was actually feeling quite excited about this activity since she has never done it before. The fact Oliver was going to be there was just simply a nice bonus. She just finished getting ready, making sure to put on several lairs to protect herself from the cold and then headed to the living room to wait for her friends. Iris was already on the couch looking more than ready to go but the others were still not done.

“Where are the others?” – Felicity asked, taking a look around the room and noticing that nobody was there yet apart from Iris.

“Caitlin just got a call from Ronnie, so she’s probably not going to make it and Sara just left to go to the gym with that girl from breakfast.” – She answered and put away the magazine that she was reading before walking up to her best friend.

“The brunette?”

“Yeah… It seems like it’s just you and me.”

“That’s a pity. I was looking forward to spending time with you guys.”

With that being said, they gathered their belongings and walked downstairs to the meeting point by the reception desk. She could see Thea behind the desk, talking to a married couple with a couple of other people waiting to leave, patiently. She and Iris were discussing something from the morning when someone accidentally bumped into them.

“I’m so sorry.” – It was a tall skinny guy with brown hair, who seemed very familiar to Felicity. She felt like she’s already seen him somewhere, she was just not sure where exactly. Her suspicion was confirmed when Iris turned around to look at the mystery guy and exclaimed with a surprised edge to her voice. - “Barry?”

“Iris?”

“Oh, my God, it’s so good to see you.”

Felicity was feeling kind of uncomfortable just standing there and watching these two reunite so she decided to simply just step away and give them some privacy. In a couple of minutes, Iris walked over to where she was standing with a guilty expression on her face. Felicity knew exactly what was coming next, not even sure if she should fight it or not. - “Please, tell me you’re not going to leave me, as well.”

“He wants to get coffee and catch up. I’m sorry.”

“Go.”

* * *

It was about half past three, when Oliver walked into the lobby, followed by John, only to see it full of guests, dressed in appropriate clothing for the temperature outside. Most of these people were parents with smaller children but there were a couple of younger people, as well. His sight was at the edge of the room when it fell on a particular blonde with glasses on. She was leaning against the wall and looking at something on her phone. What surprised him, however, was that she was alone. Firstly, he acknowledged his sister behind the reception desk with a short greeting and then walked over to Felicity.

“Hi. I’m glad you could make it.”

“Hi. Yeah, me, too.”

“So, where are your friends?” – Oliver inquired and took a look around, not really seeing anyone from earlier that morning nearby. - “They couldn’t make it.”

“Well, that’s a pity.” – He answered and hoping that he sounded at least a tiny bit genuine. Someone calling his name from behind him averted his attention from the woman in front of him, forcing him to excuse himself and go address the people waiting for today’s activity.

Half an hour later, everybody was enjoying the snow by a hill-side nearby the lodge. Oliver was helping a little girl with her sled when he noticed that Felicity was having quite a hard with her own. Firstly, he made sure that the little girl arrived safely at the bottom before walking over to help the woman in question.

“Everything okay?”

“You might think I’m crazy but I have absolutely no idea what to do.”

It was quite surprising for Oliver to hear her confession and he couldn’t help breathing out a small chuckle at the adorable way she scrunched her nose. However, his laughter was followed by an unexpected angry expression on Felicity’s face. She did not seem satisfied with his response to her confession. – “Don’t laugh at me. I grew up in Las Vegas and we don’t really have a lot of hills where I live now.”

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me. Let me help you out.” – Oliver apologized and gave her some instructions about what to hold onto and how to position herself on the sled. After a few minutes, she was still feeling uncomfortable about going down by herself and that is why he decided to make her an offer.

“Would you like me to go down with you?”

At first, Felicity seemed astonished by his suggestion but she quickly agreed. – “Yes, that would be great.”

Oliver told Felicity to scooch forward a little bit and then got on the sled himself right behind her. He enfolded her legs with his own before putting his arms around her waist to grab the rope at the front. All of a sudden, Felicity took in a long breath and he felt goosebumps break out on her skin, which made him aware of how close they were sitting to each other. He was having trouble trying to act unaffected by their lack of distance and his mind kept on flashing back to that morning when they made the dough for the gingerbread.

This woman was doing things to him that he could not explain. She was different than any other girl he’s met. She was intriguing, beautiful and like a ray of sunshine. She has always left him craving for more and that was the moment he decided to take this to the next level.

* * *

It was nearing 5 o’clock when they decided to call it a day and go back to the cottage because it was getting quite dark and cold. Oliver, John and Felicity hung back a little bit to collect the sleds and take it back to the shed. On the way back to the lodge, they exchanged a couple of words in a light conversation and took the chance to get to know each other a little better. Having put everything back to the shed, they said goodbye to Diggle and went inside.

“I had an amazing time today. Thank you so much.” – Felicity said while turning around to face the man behind her.

“I did too. I’m glad you decided to come.” – Oliver addressed her with a curvy smile on his face. His statement was followed by a short period of silence, which Felicity decided to break by bidding her farewells.

“I should get back to my room.” – She said and pointed with her thumb towards the staircase right behind her. – “Okay, well goodbye.” - Felicity was about to turn around and walk upstairs to her room but the sound of Oliver’s voice forced her to look back. - “Felicity…”

“Yeah?”

“I… Uhm... Would you like to… would you like to have dinner with me?”

“Yes… I would love to.” – Felicity answered, trying to contain her excitement. After that, they bid their farewells once again and they went back to their room. On that night, Oliver and Felicity went to sleep with a smile on their faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked the chapter and if you guys want to read more please let me know.  
> Love,  
> AC


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